The subject matter herein relates generally to electronic connector assemblies and, more specifically, to connector systems for pluggable electronic modules, such as transceiver modules, for high speed fiber optical and copper communications.
It is known to provide a metal cage with a plurality of ports, whereby transceiver modules are pluggable therein. It is desirable to increase the port density associated with the network connection, such as, for example, switch boxes, cabling patch panels, wiring closets, and computer I/O. Several pluggable module designs and standards have been introduced in which a pluggable module plugs into a receptacle which is electronically connected to a host circuit board. One such standard that has been promulgated and accepted in the industry is referred to as the small form factor pluggable (SFP) standard which specifies an enclosure height of 9.8 mm and a width of 13.5 mm and a minimum of 20 electrical input/output connections. Such pluggable modules or transceivers provide an interface between a computer and a data communication network such as Ethernet, InfiniBand, Fiber Channel or Serial Attach SCSI.
It is also desirable to increase the operating frequency of the network connection. For example, applications are quickly moving to the multi-gigabit realm. Electrical connector systems that are used at increased operating speeds present a number of design problems, particularly in applications in which data transmission rates are high, e.g., in the range above 10 Gbps (Gigabits/second). Of particular concern is reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions. Due to government regulations, there is a need not only to minimize the EMI emissions of the module, but also to contain the EMI emissions of the host system in which the module is mounted regardless of whether a module is plugged in to the receptacle.
In conventional designs, EMI shielding is achieved by using a shielded metal cage surrounding the receptacles. However, as the speeds of the network connections increase, the EMI shielding provided by conventional cages is proving to be inadequate. Therefore, there is a need for a connection system design that conforms to the SFP standard while minimizing. EMI emissions. There is a need to reduce EMI emissions from electrical connectors other than SFP type connectors.